5 Quick Steps To Make Sure You're Planking Properly

It's the exercise everyone thinks they know how to do. No equipment, no complicated movement pattern, no spotter required. Just you, the floor, and what feels like the longest 30 seconds of your life. But most people are doing planks in a way that's either doing very little for them, loading the wrong areas, or quietly setting them up for discomfort.

The good news? The fixes are super simple. And once you get them right, you'll know because you’ll actually feel the difference in your body straight away.

How to do a plank properly

Let's build this thing from the ground up. We highly recommend doing a plank in front of a mirror or filming yourself to check your own form and alignment.

Step 1: Get into position 

Lower down onto all fours, then start on your forearms with your elbows directly underneath your shoulders. Not out in front of you, not flared out wide. Your forearms should be parallel to each other (or you can clasp your hands together, either works).

Step 2: Set your feet 

From there, step your feet back so your body forms a straight line from your heels to the crown of your head. Your feet can be hip-width apart or together; both are fine.

Step 3: Engage everything 

This is the step most people skip. Before you even start your timer, look in the mirror and make sure you:

• Squeeze your glutes and engage your legs.

• Tuck your pelvis slightly by thinking about bringing your hip bones toward your ribs. Your hips shouldn’t be sagging towards the floor like a hammock or lifting up to the sky - it’s not a downward dog.

• Brace your core like someone's about to punch you in the stomach

• Think about pushing the floor away with your forearms to activate that serratus anterior and stop your shoulders from collapsing. Imagine you’re trying to balance a cup of coffee on your upper back.

Step 4: Sort out your head 

Once you’ve checked that your body alignment is right, keep your neck neutral. Look at the floor, slightly in front of your hands. Not ahead of you at the wall. Not back towards your toes.

Step 5: Breathe 

There’s often a strong temptation to hold your breath or huff and puff when you’re bracing your core, but try to keep your breathing slow and steady. You'll gas out even faster if you hold your breath.

Where should you feel a plank?

If your plank is on point, you should feel it:

• Deep in your core: not just your surface abs, but the inner brace sensation in your lower belly

• In your glutes: they should be actively squeezing, not passively existing 

• Across your shoulders and upper back: a lot of your weight is being supported by this area

• In your quads: your legs are working too, even if they're just holding still

You should NOT feel it: 

• Primarily in your lower back: this is a red flag and usually means your hips are either too high or too low, or your core isn't engaged 

• In your neck: if your neck is killing you, your head position is off 

• Absolutely nothing? If you feel nothing and planks are easy, you're not bracing properly, or your alignment is off

If you get your plank right and suddenly feel like it’s way harder than it used to be and you can’t hold it for as long - good. It’s working and that’s what you want! A 30-second plank that’s working all the right muscles is always better than being able to hold it for minutes with terrible form and minimal muscle engagement.

Squeezed, braced, levelled, stacked, and breathing

The plank is one of the most effective core exercises there is, but only when your form is actually doing what it's supposed to. Glutes squeezed, core braced, hips level, shoulders stacked, breathing steady. Get those five things right and you'll feel a plank working for you in ways you probably never have before.